Improvement in brakes for wind-wheels



my invention applied to it.

NITED STATES .ATENT OFFICE.

D. WV. HUNT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

iIVIPROVEMENT IN BRAKES FOR WIND-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Nov 36,2 E '7, dated August19, 1862. v i

and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is anelevation ofa wind-wheel with Fig. 2 is a verti cal section of the sametaken in the line 00 m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section of the same taken inthe line yy, Fig. 1, and showing a face view of the hub of the wheel.Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 3, taken in the line .2 a. Fig. 5 is anenlarged section of Fig. 2, taken in the line z'z. Fig. 6 isa sect-ionof Fig. 5, taken in the line y. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2,taken in the line 2 .2. Fig. 8 is a section of Fig. 7, taken in the linea 2'.

Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists in a novel way of ap plying a brake to awind-wheel, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the speedof the'wheel may be regulated as desired without having the brakemechanism at all interfere with the operation of the wind-wheel eitheras regards its rotation or its shifting position which keeps it in theface of the wind.

The invention also consists, in connect-ion with the foregoing, in theemployment or use of flanges or. ribs attached to the fans, for thepurpose hereinafter described.

The invention is more especially designed to be applied to wind wheelsfor pumping water; but it may be advantageously applied when other thanpump machinery is operated.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and constructmyinvention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a framing, which may be constructed in any proper way tosupport an upright tube, B, in the upper part of which a crane, O, isplaced. This crane is formed of an upright bar, at, having a horizontalbar, I), at its upper end, on which the bearings c c of a horizontalshaft, D, are placed. The lower part of the upright bar a has a tubularprojection, a which is fitted in a step, d, in the tube B, and isallowed to rotate freely in said step. The horizontal bar I) of thecrane is above the tube B, as shown clearly in Fig. 1,

and on the outer end ofthe shaft D there is a hub, E, which is providedat its'periphery with oblique flanges e, to which the fans F of thewind-wheel are bolted, the oblique position of the flanges giving theproperobliquity 'to the fans, as will be seen by referring to Fig.

1. The backs of the fans F are provided with longitudinal flanges orribs f, which project centrally from the fans at right angles and serveto stiffen them. The fans may be of wood or metal. The principal featureof the ribsf will be hereinafter described.

On the inner end of the shaft D there is placed a crank-pulley, G, towhich a connecting-rod, H, is attached at any distance from its centeraccording to the length of stroke required. This connecting-rod isformed of two parts of about, equal length, connected by a pivot, e, andthe lower end of the connectingrod is connected to a piston-rod, I, by aswivel, J. (Shown in Figs. 7 and 8.) The piston K of the rod I works inthe lower part .of the tube 13, through which water is raised by theoperation of the piston.

The crane 0 being allowed to turn freely in the upper part of the tubeB, it will be seen that the windwheel may also turn to face the windwithout at all affecting the connectingrod H, as the latter is connectedto the pistonrod I by a swivel, J. The connecting-rod H passes throughthe tubular projection a at the lower part of the crane C, saidprojection serving as a guide for the connecting-rod. The

lower part of the connecting-rod H is of square or rectangular form, andupon it there is placed a collar, K, in which the connecting-rod isallowed to work freely up and down. The collar K is encompassed by aclamp, L, which is fitted in a groove,f, made circumferentially in thecollar, as shown clearly in Fig. 6. This clamp L is connected by pivotsor trunnions g g to a lever, M, the fulcrum h of which passes throughears z, attachedto tube B. This lever M is connected by a rod, j, to alever, N, the ful crum-pin k of which passes through the tube B. Thelever N may be secured in a more or less elevated position by a verticalrack, O,

which is attached to the base of the framing A, and into which the leverN catches.

The crank-pulley G is grooved circumfere'm tially at its periphery toreceive a metal strap, 1?, one end of which is attached to the uprightbar a of the crane 0, the opposite end of said strap extending down andbeing connected to the upper part of the collar, K. The strap P, it willbe seen, does not interfere in the least with the shifting or turning ofthe wind-wheel with the changing of the wind, and the strap P may bemadeto bear on the periphery of the crank-pulley G with a greater or lesspressure by adjusting the lever N, and the speed of the wind-wheelregulated as desired and stopped when necessary or required, the collarK, turning i n the clamp L, whilethelatter,through the medium ofleverM,rod 3', and lever M, may

' be raised and lowered for adjusting strap 1?.

The flanges or ribs f, attached to the fans F, serve as regulators andprevent an undue velocity of the wind-wheel in a high wind, as theyoffer a resistance to the air, which increases in proportion to thesquare of their velocity. Hence the flanges or ribs will not materiallyaffect the power of thewheel in a light wind and will add greatly inchecking it during a high wind.

I do not claim, broadly, a brake formed of a metal friction-strapirrespective of the arrangement of the same and the mode of applicationherein shown and described; but

being used in combination with a revolving crane, O, and the swivel J,which connects the rods H H, substantially as and for the purpose H setforth.

2. In combination with the foregoing, the flanges or ribs f, attached tothe back parts of the fans F, to operate as and for the purposespecified. t

D. WV. HUNT.

\Vitnesses:

E. O. HUNT, JAS. B. WEBSTER.

